Hood wins Dem nod in Mississippi gov race; GOP runoff ahead

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Fourth-term Attorney General Jim Hood has defeated seven rivals to become the Democratic nominee for Mississippi governor, while on the Republican side, second-term Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves faces a runoff in three weeks against former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr.

Hood hopes to break the grip Republicans have held on the governorship for 16 years in the conservative Southern state. He told The Associated Press after his primary victory Tuesday that “working folks” are “ready for change in Mississippi.”

Reeves missed a majority in the Republican primary despite being the chosen successor of term-limited Gov. Phil Bryant, and despite raising millions more than any of his GOP rivals. But Reeves says he’s “totally and completely confident” that he’ll win the runoff and “beat Jim Hood in November.”